Nardelli and Home Depot Become an 'Instant Classic' for Crisis Communications; Leading Communications Firm Offers Comments/Advice

NEW YORK, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Like an ESPN Instant Classic, Bob Nardelli and Home Depot will be an instant business school case study. We'll watch both the company performance and the public's loyalty to the company," says Andrew Gilman, President & CEO of CommCore Consulting Group, in reaction to Nardelli's firing from Home Depot and $210 million severance packages

CommCore announces the launch of the CommCore Crisis Comment (CCC), a new monthly report on crisis issues in areas such as health, business, consumer products, and general interest. The CommCore Crisis Comment is based upon the findings of a panel of 20 communications consultants who advise corporations, governments, not-for-profits, and associations on media strategies and crisis response.

"We believe that each crisis provides an opportunity to analyze what occurred, and suggestions for others to possibly avoid a similar event or disaster for their organization," says Andrew Gilman. Gilman is well established in the field of crisis communications and crisis management; two notable assignments, Johnson & Johnson during Tylenol and the Government of Canada during the SARS epidemic.

  January 2007 Results:

  HOME DEPOT

Nardelli's firing and severance package has ramifications for a range of issues including CEO pay, Board independence, and overall company reputation.

Comment: Other companies will be forced to look at issues like appropriate executive compensation, Board governance, company reputation, employee morale and consumer loyalty.

CITRUS FREEZE

The recent freeze may cost California growers 50-75% of their crop with losses more than $610 million. Oranges are expected to surge due to lack of produce.

Comment: A "good" crisis is one that fades in a day or two from the front pages. This is one that may have legs both as a business and a consumer products crisis. It takes years to rebuild groves after a devastating freeze; consumers change behavior quickly when prices rise so rapidly. This crisis may spill over into the immigration debate if farm workers become unemployed.

MARK McGWIRE

With a vote of only 128 out of a possible 545, the Baseball Writers sent a clear statement that they did not believe McGwire was in the same category as Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripkin. McGwire's performance at the 2006 Congressional "Drugs in Baseball" hearings did him in.

Comment: We love the record breakers, yet we want to believe they each did it on the up-and-up. No one wants to admit to performance enhancing substances; nonetheless, we "dis" the athlete if he or she gets caught.